Head lice: Tips for preventing

Head lice are common, and it is easy for children to pick up head lice at school and other places where they play. There are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of your child getting head lice.

Teach your child to stop sharing things that touch the head. Brushes, combs, hair accessories, hats, helmets, scarves, towels, and even earbuds offer head lice a good place to hang out until they can crawl onto a human.

When someone has head lice, tell your child not to touch couches, chairs, pillows, rugs, and beds that a person who has head lice uses.

If your child’s school reports a head lice infestation, there are a few things you can do to catch head lice early.

Inspect household items that can get infested with lice and nits — towels, rugs, and bedding.

Look carefully at the clothes your child has worn during the past 2 days for lice and their eggs.

Reinforce the message to stop sharing anything that touches the head.

Tell your child to stop head-to-head contact with other kids until the school is free of lice.

Related resources:

Head lice Information from the Centers for Disease Control.Treating head lice Consumer health information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which includes FDA-approved treatments for head lice.